I Am Listening, Planet
by Serria
Summary: An unknown character in the game reflects with the Planet on the events during Meteor through the eyes of Aeris. Was Aeris really the last Cetra? What went through her head when she decided to make her sacrifice?
1. Reflections

**Author's Notes** - Obviously, I do not own Final Fantasy Seven, if I did, I wouldn't spends hours upon hours making fanwork for it. ^_^ And I'd be rich. Oooh yeah. Mmm... anyhow... 

The beginning can be really deep and philosophical, just to warn you. To help you out a bit, it starts out being told by a character in the game many years (but not too many) after the Meteor threat, and he/she/it is reflecting. You don't get to know who he/she/it is right away, but chances are after a few chapters you'll figure it out. It's not really important to the even being reflected upon, but when it's all over it'll be wrapped up and hopefully help portray the message I'm trying to give. 

___________________ 

__

It's strange how the years go by. A year brings life and joy, another brings death and suffering. A year brings passion and inspiration, and then it destroys your mind. But life is a cycle, night and day, summer and winter, ruled by inescapable nature. So in this sense, the year is just a messenger. Everything physical on the Planet however, is subject to Time. Time rules all in the end. 

But then there's the Lifestream. The Lifestream is ageless. The Lifestream is a divine force for all the worlds. Everything has Life in it, every cell, every atom. Time is only a tiny aspect for the never-ending river of reincarnation. The weaker minded might desperatly think that life is meaningless if it's infinite. That perhaps existance is a mere illusion. 

Maybe the wise ones don't know. Maybe the wise ones don't care, and maybe that's what makes them wise. We cling to the hope that we have some purpose in life, a footprint to set, a path to follow, and perhaps leave a trail that others can follow. But I know that every little aspect to the Lifestream can be a devestating fight for a human. 

The Meteor incident comes to mind. Just one Planet to infinity, but the entire world to us. Nature and evolution, hand in hand, would have ruled in the end, no matter how powerful Sephiroth became. A physical being cannot live forever. But neither can we. A series of moments, just like the life we live, was all that mattered then. 

Then to say that the Planet doesn't matter... it matters to me. And I, like everything else, am part of the Lifestream. I have a right to look on the Planet as a god, so old relatively, so wise through years of evolution. I have a right to do my duty to protect it. The Planet is beautiful, it's life is beautiful, and I don't want it to ever be destroyed. 

...The Meteor incident... the Cetra... JENOVA, Sephiroth, Cloud... though long ago, the page in the book of time became a legend, told to every child until known by heart. Nanaki, though still young, was a member of the AVALANCHE group, the last survivor, and is the epitome of respect around here. I was so young at the time that I only remember what the Planet whispers to me. 

The Planet tells many stories, even the ones woven long ago in the very back of a young mind. Each story, however, is incomplete - only a single thread in the quilt of time. But there were some things that never made the legends that shouldn't be forgotten. 

This is a tale about us, the Cetra, the speakers of the Planet. Yes, it is about Aeris, her victory, and a cast of heroes, some very dear to me. Yes, it is about Sephiroth, his dream and corruption, and how relative good and evil really are. But mostly it is about the Planet, though victim to time itself, the memories of it's moments will never be gone. 

I am naught but old now, and soon I myself will be riding the Lifestream. But before I go I leave this to my descendants, to hope that it will be long before it is forgotten. Maybe this is what I can do, record history that one might learn from it, for to learn from experience is to be wise indeed. I am listening, Planet... 


	2. Because I am the Last Ancient

**Author's Notes** - I thought that this one would get a little farther down my plot, but it didn't because I thought it unnecessary to clump two different ideas into one chapter. I know that this particular scene has been written a thousand times, but this is my take on it - Aeris's determination, yeah, but also her reflection on being 'the last ancient'. Enjoy. 

__________________ 

**_Aeris..._**

Is this it, then? Sephiroth was behind me somewhere, searching. I know he is, I feel him, his blind confusion. To be honest, I pity the man. Maybe that's why I'm not afraid now. But I can't give up yet. I can't withdraw conciousness from this world, not until it's done. 

I walk down, down to a gentle darkness lit by a cool, mystical glow. Strange. There must be at least a hundred pearly white stairs, leading down into the depths of a forgotten cetra capital, pure and untouched by time. But I felt as if I was floating rather than walking, struggling. My spirit could no longer be contained in such a small body. I had to move on. 

No. I can't yet. Think, Aeris. Aeris. My name. Think straight while you still have the time... 

..and then forswear it. 

_Holy_. I need this body to finish the Summons. Holy is the last hope of the Planet. If I don't do what my ancestors could, then no one can. The Planet will be lost to chaos, all the lore, life, and wisdom lost with Sephiroth's Meteor. Why doesn't he understand? 

But then again... no one does... maybe they would if they realized that not everything precious in this world is something you can touch. I suppose that's why they believed so strongly in a Promised Land. Now that I think about it, the thought of draining the place of Mako makes me laugh. 

Ah... the last step. The Forgotten Capital stands shining , surrounded by glowing sacred waters. The altar in the middle... I walk there... 

A stable thought plays in my mind. _Because I am the last Ancient_... If I let go of my physical self long enough to summon Holy... will I be able to come back? To condense myself back into the bounds of human flesh? I shake my head. Of course I will. Somehow. _For them..._

I stand at the altar and fold my hands. I must pray to the Planet, to the Lifestream, like I have done so many times. To do what I do best, to protect, to mend. If I don't, who will?_Because I am the last Ancient_... it is my duty. 

_Because I am the last Ancient._

...That's what I had been told all my life. Feeling so lonely, I had believed it. I had endured it. Cetra blood was a curse as well as a gift. How many times had it brought me pain? But better me than another. 

_Because I am the last Ancient... _

Planet.... 

...right? 

**The blood of the Ancients runs through many. **

But it's numbers have diminished. I'm alone, Planet. How can I let myself go when our page in history is over? Who will be here to protect you? 

**It was never about blood. To hear the voice of the Planet...**

But to most that voice is masked. 

**But you were never alone...**

_Planet!_ The Planet spoke beyond words... but I couldn't cross over yet. I had to translate it into physical thought... perhaps that's why I couldn't understand. 

_**Time and nature... evolution... beyond the times of now. You could not destroy time and time always has a way... ** _

Do you mean fate, Planet? 

When it spoke again, it was a different tone. _**Ah, my child, you created this fate yourself. The Cetra's page has not yet been turned...** _

Mother! You're still here... what do you mean? 

**You've seen it all yourself, Aeris. Watch...**

Then I felt a great light, and I remembered that little girl who loved flowers... 


	3. Seventh Heaven's Daughter

_{--The flash of light blinded me...and suddenly my memories poured out as the Planet commanded...--}_

The pillar... it could fall every moment. And up there, Cloud and Tifa's friends were fighting Shinra... that was, there friends minus one. I was kneeled down next to Wedge, who had fallen from way up there, a man lying on the ground, drifting away with every second. The sight of him brought tears to my eyes, and even though I didn't know him, I stroked his cheek, whispering words of comfort. Soon he would be riding the Lifestream. 

"Aeris, do me a favor," Tifa's soft voice said with strong urgency. Her lovely red eyes were narrowed with worry as she gazed at me intently, then she glanced back up at the Pillar. Clenching her fists she looked back at me. "There's a little girl at my bar, The Seventh Heaven. Her name is Marlene. Bring her somewhere safe." 

"Don't worry, Tifa," I answered, nodding. I didn't move though. I still sat by Wedge. "But... I'm going to stay with him until it's over," I said quietly. I didn't have to tell Cloud or Tifa that it wouldn't be long. 

Tifa's eyes were wet and red, Cloud turned away. He didn't want us to see his face. "We gotta go," he said instead. Tifa followed as they ran up the winding stairs... funny thing. Sometimes you know what you have to do, and you know you have to achieve that goal at all costs. Sometimes there's no time to feel. 

I felt really sad right then. What was I? The last Ancient, the last Cetra. Soon there won't be time for us... that is me, either. 

Wedge's raspy breathing stopped, it was over. I closed my eyes and folded my hands. _O Planet, may his next life show him more gentle fortunes..._ I stood up. There was nothing more I could do for him. 

Now for Marlene, the girl at Tifa's bar. 

Running through the slums, I searched for The Seventh Heaven. Like the rest of Lower Midgar, the place was a massive junkyard, swarming with poverty, trash, and darkness lit by meager lamplights. 

"We're closed, y'hear?" a shrill young voice screeched. 

"Lis'sen.. we dun want no trouble..." a drunk voice sounded. "C'mon lil gal... gimme a drink..." 

Turning to the sound, I saw it. A little girl yelling, unafraid, at a full grown drunk sleazy man. "Ack! Marlene!" I cried out. 

"We are _closed_!" The little girl snapped. She couldn't have been more than five. "Go on home, or else!" 

"Or else _what_?" the man said, giving a slimy chuckle, as if he had said the most clever thing in Midgar. 

Then Marlene did something that gave me forever respect for her. She lifted a crowbar that was lying in the doorway, jumped on a box and she whacked the man in the head - he was so drunk that he fell unconcious immediatly. 

"Marlene!" I ran up to her now, seeing why Tifa and left her in charge. "You have to come with me, Marlene. Shinra's destroying the Sector Seven Pillar! I'll take you somewhere safe!" 

"What?" Marlene blinked. She was an adorable girl, even with the crowbar, and now look the incarnation of innocence. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Aeris, a flowergirl." I really felt as though there was no time for this, but after seeing what the girl could do I wouldn't have it any other way. "I was traveling with Tifa and Cloud when we found out about Shinra's plans, and Tifa sent me to come and get you while she tries to stop them." 

"Where's Daddy?" she whimpered but didn't cry. I suppose she had become used to this sort of threat in the slums. 

"Daddy?" I studied her for a brief moment. The girl looked alot like Tifa... could it be? Would that mean Cloud...? "I don't know..." I wanted to call her an affectionate name, but I wasn't sure if she would trust me. "But we do have to hurry. I promise that I'm not lying." 

"Okay. Okay, Aeris, I'm coming," She said it so quietly, so sadly, as if it wasn't worth it to cry, though I did see a trickle of a tear run down her cheek. 

I turned around and noticed the unconcious man still lying on the ground. "Oh, Planet," I moaned. I couldn't leave the poor wretch to die like this. "Marlene, you should run ahead," I said uncertainly as I grabbed the man's leg, beginning to pull. "I dunno if I'll make it..." I knew it wasn't safe for a child, but how could I leave this dumb jerk to his doom? 

Maybe that did it for winning her trust. She shook her head and said in a voice only a child can muster, "If we work together it will be quicker." She grabbed the other leg and pulled with me. 

Dragging the heavy man proved troublesome, but I was so nervous that I found the strength to work quickly. Marlene seemed to think I was angry at her. "It's all my fault!" she cried. "I shouldn't have hit him!" 

"No, mate, don't say that!" _Almost to Sector 6... just ahead..._ "He was being stupid, it's his fault. He certainly deserved a whack on the head. He's just lucky there's nice people like us in the world, see?" I said, grinning sheepishly. To be honest, though, I was still depressed. Everything was mounting up. 

"D'you think so, Aeris?" Marlene sniffled. 

"Of course." I didn't pay much attention to her. I was too busy thinking about Cloud and Tifa. "There!" We reached Sector Six, and let go of the drunk. "I'm sure he'd thank us if he was awake." I said with a slight smile. 

I looked back at Sector Seven hoping everyone had gotten safely out. Aside from Marlene and the drunk, I hadn't seen anyone... maybe I should go back and check... 

"Please don't leave me!" she whispered. 

"What?" 

"Don't go back there... I don't want it to fall on you." 

I looked at her incredulously. The girl was good at reading emotions. ...Or was that all there was to it? "Well, come with me. I'll take you to my mother's." That reminded me. Trying to change the subject, I decided to try and find out Marlene's heritage. "D'you know Cloud, Marlene?" 

"The man with the big sword? I just met him. He's Tifa's friend," she said thoughtfully. 

"Oooh." So she probably wasn't Tifa's daughter, nor Cloud's. "Doncha think he's cute?" 

"Huh?" Good. I was getting her mind off of the Plate. 

"C'mon, a little bit?" 

"Oh!" she began to giggle. Excellent. If we ignored any monsters lurking in the junkyard, maybe they'd ignore us. Maybe Marlene wouldn't find out that there was monsters. "I dunno! I'm too young for that stuff!" 

"Oh, are ya?" I said playfully, trying to take my mind off of it as well. There was no way that I'd get up there in time anyhow. "D'you think he likes me?" 

"I don't know 'bout that, but..." She fumbled in her pockets for a moment, then pulled out a tattered plant. "He gave me a flower!" 

The closest thing to a real smile played across my lips. _The flower that I sold him..._"Well!" I said, putting my hands on my hips comically. "I never liked him anyhow!" 

"Hee hee!" She was giggling strongly now. Then she stopped, and said thoughtfully, "But you know, Miss... the flower talks to me!" 

"Oh, does it now?" I said, deciding to play the new game. "Is it magic?" 

"Yes!" 

"Can it tell the future, too? Make it tell mine!" _Now almost out of Sector Six... almost out..._

"The Planet can't tell the future, silly. But it does tell me stories." 

I stopped walking and turned to her, surprised. "Say what?" 

"Ohhh..." She blushed as if she had said something very stupid. "I meant I make up stories." 

"Ah..." We continued walking, but I couldn't help but wonder if it really was a child's game she was referring to, or... no, she wasn't like me. She wasn't a Cetra, she couldn't feel the Planet, talk to the Planet and be one with the Planet. Could she? Certainly some regular humans are more sensitive to it than others... but what a strange child, this Marlene. 

There, the gate of Sector Five. 

"Look, Marlene, we've made it!" I said cheerfully. "My house is just up there a ways..." 

"Whew!" She sighed comically, obviously forgetting that we were ever in any danger at all. 

I grinned at her. "Well then, let's-" I stopped, my eyes widening. 

A ShinRa helicopter landed in front of me, the sound ripping through the air. The door opened and Tseng jumped out, wearing his blue Turks uniform, followed by several ShinRa officers. "Hello Aeris," he said in a pleasant voice that made me want to kick him. 


	4. Choices and Fears

**Author's Notes -**This one was kind of fun to write. You'll have to excuse the unorganization of my chapters. >__________________________

"...Hullo, Tseng," I said, pushing Marlene behind me. He looked so abnormal - strong, clean and rich - compared to the slums surrounding him. His face was cool and lacked emotion, he stood ready to command. I watched him coolly, refusing to lose my calm to him. I hated him right then. I hated him for being a Turk, for being on the wrong side and being good at it, and I hated him for understanding me so well. 

"The Plate will be going down any second now," Tseng mused, as though he were talking about the weather. I hated him for for acting as though it didn't matter. 

I narrowed my eyes. I knew Tseng too well. He would never want to kill all of those people. But he would do it if he was told to. "Cold blooded murder. There's something to tell your boss. I'm sure the murder of defenseless poor people is really impressive in your field of work." 

"I have orders, Aeris, and like it or not it's ShinRa that runs the world," he answered, pretending to be calm. I hated him. 

"Only because they're backed up by mindless idiots!" I shot out. The anger I had kept contained was pouring out. "What 'orders'? Go kill people, Tseng! Go destroy the Planet, Tseng! And while your at it, let's make the whole world suffer by ensuring only rich, powerful people never starve!" 

Tseng regained full composure, simply because now he was angry. "You've forgotten kidnapping the last Ancient, you know." 

I had opened my mouth to remind him that he wasn't going to touch me when Marlene, cowering behind me began to cry. This really wasn't the time or place to comfort her so I simply put my arms around her, hugging her tightly. 

"Oh? What's this?" Tseng walked closer, eyeing the child. "Daughter of some Midgar whore, no doubt." 

I gripped my Guard Staff so tightly that my knuckles turned white. "What do you want, Tseng? Are your orders to try and kidnap me again? That shows that your a lying scumbag, and therefore a hypocrit for talking to a child like that." 

"I'm here to ensure that you stay out of Sector 7 when the fireworks go off." He now stood only a few feet away, and though I wasn't scared of him, I was suddenly very uncomfortable. A strange sexual tension came between us. I hated him, hated him... but no, I didn't. Really close to it, though. "I won't break my promise..." he said softly, our gazes locked. "But you know, I don't think I'll have to..." I didn't understand what he meant at first, but then his eyes slowly moved down to the weeping Marlene. 

"...You wouldn't dare..." I hissed, holding onto Marlene all the tighter. I'm sure the girl didn't catch on. She was sobbing too hard. 

The Shinra officers, obviously lost in our conversation, stood awkwardly. "Orders, sir? Should we...?" How I wanted to scream. Did they feel no sympathy? 

My eyes met the Turk's, fire running between us. The Turk and the flowergirl, waiting for the other to make the first move. Thoughts flew through my head. _Could I carry Marlene? How heavy was she, how fast could she run? When I got to my house, then what? Should I stay and fight?_

If I had been alone I would have ran back into Sector Seven and hide. Maybe they would call off the Plate dropping...no, probably not.... but how could I put Marlene in danger, especially after promising to look after her? 

"It's your call, Aeris," he said. He took a step even closer. He was so close that I could touch him. So close that I could- 

_FHWACK_. I swung my Guard Stick and hit his side with force that I could only muster when I was furious. I knew that the blow had hurt, he wasted precious seconds registering what had just happened. The time was used for me to grab Marlene, push past Tseng and begin to run. I didn't look back to see if he fell or not. 

The ShinRa guards grabbed their guns and ran in front of me, intending to block me off. I pointed my stick at them, and the red Fire Materia gem inserted into the weapon began to glow. Flames shot out from the tip of the stick, engulfing the guards. I used their surprise to gain more time and ran through the smoke, still pulling Marlene. 

"Run, Marlene!" I cried out desperatly. She was stumbling and crying and was too heavy for me to carry without being slowed down considerably. But all I could think was that I had to get home, I had to get to Mom. Then Marlene would be safe and I could fight them without burden. 

I could hear them chasing us. They were catching up fast. Marlene was still crying like a banshee, and though I didn't blame her I really wished that she would stop. The Healing Wind... maybe that would help. I closed my eyes, feeling the Planet's magic swarm my body, even as I ran. I concentraited on Marlene, and a second later a little breeze filled the air. The wind calmed the girl and she stopped crying. She ran with me silently. 

But she was still too slow. I heard a gunshot... oh, no. No, no, no... 

Marlene fell to the ground, her body limp. We were right in front of my house, too. I stopped, staring at the child in horror, then I kneeled down and felt her pulse. Yes, she was still breathing. I could only manage a meager sigh of relief. 

"She's asleep," Tseng commented, having caught up with us. He stood right next to me. I was shaking with fury, sitting by Marlene. The ShinRa guards surrounded us, their guns pointed. 

"_Aeris_!!" Elmyra, my mom, ran out of the house. She looked so much like me, with chessnut hair and green eyes. Why, by the gods couldn't I have been her daughter? Her face now was wide in terror and shock, and she looked ready to faint. "No! Aeris has done nothing wrong! She's no criminal, don't you touch her!" 

"Ma'am," Tseng turned to Elmyra. "I'd never force your adopted daughter to come with us. She is an adult and can decide for herself. However, the girl I will have to take into custody. I have reason to believe she is the daughter of a terrorist, and therefore will be held in Shinra." 

I could barely find the words to speak. "You... wouldn't..." 

He snapped his fingers and one of the guards grabbed Marlene. I tried to hold on to her but I was kicked down by Tseng himself, right in the face. 

"_Stop it_!!!" Elmyra shrieked, running toward me. She was halted by another guard, holding her back by the shoulders. 

"Take the child back to the helicopter," he commanded. 

My anger turned to desperate helplessness. He knew what I would do. He didn't care about Marlene, he wouldn't take her to the ShinRa building. He wouldn't have to. He knew. 

He, followed by confused ShinRa guards, began to walk away... 

"Tseng, don't!" I shouted. "Okay, I'll go, you hear? Just let Marlene go!" 

Tseng walked over to me, our faces just a few inches apart. "You'll agree to turn yourself in, then, on your own free will in exchange for the girl's safety?" 

"Her freedom," I corrected, feeling sick. My stomach was fluttering, my throat was dry. This was it. 

His voice fell to a whisper. "Don't blame me, though, Aeris. I've been true to my word with you. I said that I wouldn't be the one to force you into the helicopter... not until you agreed..." 

"And I agree, dammit!" I was trembling. I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want any of this. But I would agree.... "I gave my own word to protect Marlene. She's just a child..." I felt near tears myself. 

Tseng turned away. I didn't know what he wanted me to say. To thank him for not kidnapping me if I wasn't willing? Well, thank you indeed! 

"Release the little brat," he said, signalling to his men. "At last we have the Ancient." 

"Aeris!" Elmyra screamed. I hadn't noticed that she was at my side now, and she held me tightly just like I had held Marlene back at the gate. "You can't... not after all of these years..." 

"Mom, please take Marlene somewhere safe," I said with strength I didn't have, and I stood up. It was so cold all of the sudden. I shuddered. 

Again, she was pulled away by the guards. Elmyra didn't struggle, she just stared at me as if I had said something strangely familier. "The Ancients..." The words were just barely audible. 

"Mom?" What could I say? 

Tseng pulled my Guard Stick out of my hands and tossed it to Elmyra. "A good day to you, ma'am," he said in that same pleasant voice he had used earlier. But I didn't have the strength to hate him anymore All I knew was that I didn't want to go back to the laboratory I had spent my life telling myself to fear. I didn't want to see _him_. 

But... I had saved Marlene. I prayed to the Planet that she might never get involved with ShinRa again. Or at least that she wouldn't remember. 

___ 

I stared out the window of the helicopter. Higher and higher we went. I was dizzy and sick. _Ifalna, my blood mother, why did you do this to me? You should have never had a child..._ I wanted her to answer so badly, but I couldn't hear the Planet here... I wanted to be alone in the church, alone with my flowers. Yet at the same time, I was alone and I didn't want to be. I never asked to be the last Ancient. I never asked to be one at all. 

_{--End Flash...--} _

It seems so long ago when the plate fell. But then again, everything seems long ago now. Time is a rope that binds the world together. 

But there is a place that is ageless, beyond time and cycle. I could be there. I could go now to that place so precious that it has been sought after for years. I could leave now and forget about this world. 

No. I could never forget about this world. How could I be perfectly happy if I knew that I hadn't taken the burden of the Cetra away from this world? 

How could I leave my Planet? 

I've lead a harsh life and I haven't complained. I've watched friends die in the streets of Midgar, I lost my blood mother, I never knew my father and I had been running from the ShinRa all of my life... Funny, though. I don't really care. It seems so long ago, anyhow. Life isn't easy. But if I hadn't lived my life, I'm sure someone else would have. 

I had been so scared to return ShinRa headquarters. Now it seems so long ago, too. 

_{--Flash--}_

The Plate came crashing to the ground. Many lives were lost, and I felt every one of them. Sitting in the helicopter, I would have screamed but I found that I had no voice. The pain and the shock of the people tore through my very soul like fire. They looked up and saw their sky fall, waited the tedious second that would be their last. Not everyone had made it out. In fact, most hadn't. 

I felt the screaming. And then... they were gone. I had felt the loss of people before. I knew what it felt like. Even people I didn't know, like Elmyra's husband killed in war. I knew it. But never before had I felt anything like this. Again I wanted to weep, again I didn't have the strength to. 

Tseng didn't speak and I was grateful. I was certain that he didn't feel _bad_ about what had happened, but more ashamed. Partly was his own concious, partly was towards me. I didn't want him to care about me. No, right then I didn't care about him either way. Not after what I had just felt. 

To top it off, Tseng had flown over to the top of the pillar, where Tifa, Cloud, and a man that I didn't know stood, trying to stop the bomb that would explode. Tseng had mocked them. It was all I could do to yell to Tifa that Marlene was safe. And now they were dead. 

They _were_ dead... right? 

I thought of Cloud. So much like _him_. Zack said that he would always be there for me. Cloud was my bodyguard. Cloud... but... where was he? _Confusion, sympathy, hurt...._ Did I dare to hope? Could he be alive? And Tifa, too? 

No. There was no mistake. They weren't dead. They couldn't be! 

As the helicopter landed at the foot of ShinRa Headquarters, my fears were calmed. My Cloud would come for me. I had to believe that. If I didn't hope for him, I didn't have any hope at all. 


	5. All Alone

**Author's Notes** - WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I most sincere apologies to everyone!!! *is in shock* I have absolutely no idea what happened there. (For those of you who didn't know) The wrong file was loaded here. A file that I most CERTAINLY did not write! In fact, to my knowledge I don't even have that file saved on my computer... maybe my brother has it. I don't know. I must have been asleep when I loaded it. God, I'm such an idiot. Anyhow, here is the RIGHT file. 

_______________________ 

_I did this for Marlene._

I repeated these words over and over in my head, and probably out loud a few times as well. _I did this for Marlene. Think about her, the sweet little girl with dark brown hair and big eyes, clutching onto a flower that told her stories_. I imagined her running around in a grassy field, surrounded by trees, without a building in sight. It was a nice thought. The problem was that I had never been out of Midgar, my ideas of what a grassy meadow would look like were somewhat varied. 

But that didn't matter. I daydreamed. Marlene might have been what I was like as a child. Pure, innocent, and nature loving. I imagined her reading books and drawing pictures and asking questions. I imagined her wanting to travel the world, just like her mother wanted, and explore. I imagined her searching for the Promised Land and having an adventure... yes, it seemed to suit her very well. 

Maybe it was nonsense, though. I didn't know Marlene well, even if I had felt like I did for a few brief moments. But I had to justify my reason in my mind. I had to leave reality. Reality scared me. 

I was laying awkwardly on a hard cot. Everything in the cell was cold and dead. The colours were dull, the air was cold and even stuffy. My wrists hurt from where handcuffs had cut into them, my head hurt from something that _they_ had injected into my arm. I had been up all night, but I couldn't sleep. 

When we had arrived at the ShinRa building, Tseng ordered the first floor to be evacuated. No low ranking ShinRa worker was allowed to know of my existance. We rode an elevator up, where every second seemed like hours. Tseng had spoken to me. 

_"Don't try anything, Aeris, or I'll-" _

"You'll what?" I had snapped back. "Kill my mom? Kill that little girl? Kill everyone in Midgar? I wouldn't put anything past you." 

I knew that that would make him angry. He was, but he chose to evade. "Ah, lighten up. I'm sure that Hojo will give you a very warm welcome." 

The rage burned into my cheeks. "My mother is dead because of him. It's because of him that there's people like you." 

I wasn't sure if what I had meant had thoroughly been translated to words, but as always, Tseng understood. And I had the pleasure of seeing him shift uncomfortably. "Mmm, so much for pleasant conversation." 

"I was all for that before you became a Turk," I hissed. 

Tseng wasn't one to lose a battle of words. "You were all for every man that bought a flower from you." 

The spoken attack made me both furious and hurt. It was because of Zack. Tseng always hated him, and why? He never forgave us for being in love. I opened my mouth to respond, but the elevator doors opened. Tseng didn't speak to me, I didn't speak back. The fight in the elevator had distracted me from the sick feeling growing in my stomach, and now I felt wobbly all over again... 

What time was it? There was no way of telling. The dim lighting the cell never changed. I wished more than anything that I could see the sky... but one didn't usually see the sky in Midgar, anyhow. In must have been gorgeous at one time, the Midgar area, reeking of rich Mako energy and swarming with life. But what is it now? Walls and dim lights. A man-lit cage. It was hard to get in and harder still to get out. It was cut off from the world, but yet to some it _was_ the world. 

Ahhh, how my head ached. 

I was so tired. I wanted to sleep. Sleep would take me away from here for a few precious hours. But I couldn't sleep. My eyes were red and scratchy but they refused to close. It must be very late too, or even very early, but there was no way to tell. Why couldn't I sleep? 

But I knew the answer with every quivering breath I took. I had seen _him_. I had spent all of my life fearing him, and even now I remembered being a child, feeling violated, feeling as though he had come to close. 

It had been worse for Mother though. It must have been. She used to tell me that she lived in a very beautiful place before she met Father. I can't imagine living anywhere but a dark place like Midgar and having home ripped away from you. But Hojo... he went out of his way to make Mother suffer. Even I could tell, and I had been a child. Now I wondered if he had felt to Mother and Father as Tseng had felt to Zack and I... but I never knew Father. Because of Hojo, my blood parents were dead. 

I knew that he wouldn't give me the relief of death, though. 

_Tseng had brought me to Hojo's office at one of the top ShinRa floors. Inside perhaps half a dozen scientists worked. When we entered, the room fell silent. _

And then he_ stood up. _

"So... finally netted the runaway labrat, Tseng, have you?" Hojo was looking at me, but yet he wasn't. I felt as though I were some rare Materia, and I shuddered. "I had hoped that the Turks had the capability to do so years ago, though. Or was a little girl that hard to find?" 

Tseng answered with both respect and ice. "I wasn't a Turk then, sir. As you can see, things are different now." 

Hojo had to be at least fifty and he looked it, but the way he stood made him seem like a SOLDIER. He was venerable and powerful, and I don't think that anyone ever doubted it. "Report to Hedeiggar, then. I'm sure the President will be very pleased..." 

Tseng glanced at me, and I couldn't tell if the look was apologetic or satisfied. Then he nodded toward Hojo and left me. I was alone... 

It was all I could do to stand up straight and defiant. Because my hands were tied behind my back, I couldn't put up much of a fight. But oh, Planet, to be surrounded by ShinRa guards and those professors, to see the looks on their faces... what was all in a days work for them was my world, my life. 

"We should start testing right away," one scientist suggested. "The President will want to start the Neo-Midgar project as soon as possible." 

"Science can't be rushed, fool," Hojo snapped, but his eyes didn't leave me. His dark glittering eyes were so intense I took an involuntary step back. He gave a little laugh. "We'll do the preliminary testing only tonight. If the specimen is anything like her mother, I have my reasons." He finally turned away. 

Specimen?_ He was trying to break my will, to crack my defiance just like he planned to crack the secret of the Promised Land. _Specimen..._ No! "Don't you talk about my mother!" I cried out, standing defensively. "You didn't know the first thing about her!" _

The professor ignored me the way he would ignore the hissing of a cat. "Take her away, then," he waved his hand. 

But as a guard came to grab me, I pulled loose. "Do you even know my name?" I asked, emotions both angry and stung. I looked at him straight in the eyes and I refused to let him turn away. 

Hojo did something then that would take a long time to forget: he laughed. "The only name you have here, my dear, is Specimen 52." 

I didn't really remember what happened after that. That must have been when they injected some drug into me. But I didn't care. I was sure that it was something that I didn't _want_ to remember. 

And now I was alone, ready to believe that there was no Promised Land. Promises are fickle. I knew that all too well now. 

I sat up on the cot, shivering. Blankets didn't help anyhow. I stood up and looked upward, not at the ceiling but higher, searching for some divine answer. _Who am I kidding?_ I shook my head and sat down in a corner, hugging my knees to my chest. 

And suddenly I felt sad. I had no more hatred or anger inside of me, hatred and anger take too much energy. I leaned my head on my knees wishing that Elmyra was there. Ifalna had long since been a distant figure, more like a mystical spirit that whispered to me in the church than a mother. But Elmyra.. she had given up so much to keep me. It's rare to find people like that in the slums. It's hard to find the ones who haven't been taken over by survival instinct. Maybe the "good" ones are the fools. 

But I would that I could hear Ifalna and the Planet now... I closed my eyes, catching my breath, straining to listen. Silence answered. "Ugh!" Tears welled in my eyes. It was so... full of people... I didn't know how to explain it. But I couldn't hear it... What was that my mother had told me before she died? 

_She had been quiet that day, pensive and serene. It was a rare moment that she and I were alone together, so I snuggled up on her lap, leaning my head against her chest. Usually she was so optimistic, always telling me that one day we would get out of Midgar. She would tell me stories of the beautiful places she had been and the flowers she had seen. I never saw many flowers in the laboratory but I loved them nonetheless. _

But that day she didn't say a word. I craned my neck, looking up at her. "Mother?" I asked, noticing that her eyes were closed. "Mother, wake up!" 

"Mmmm..." She opened her eyes a bit, gazing down at me. 

I felt that her mind was elsewhere, though. "Mother? Is the Planet talking?" I thought it might be. The phenomenon was alien to me, but sometimes she told me about it. 

"It is always talking, my sweet," Ifalna stroked my hair and gave a sad, small smile. "It's more of a question of am I listening..." 

"Are you?" 

"I try my hardest, Aeris, but the world is so noisy. Sometimes the voice is very soft and hard to understand." I didn't know what she meant at the time, but I certainly knew now. 

"Can't you ask it to talk louder?" I was trying to be helpful; I didn't like seeing my mother sad. 

"Ask who, darling?" she answered gently. "The Planet has many voices, and none of them are human." 

That was what she had felt. Her spirit was reaching to the Planet, only to be blocked, not by ShinRa walls but something else. I felt it now. _I don't care about the Promised Land, I just want to leave the world..._It wasn't fair that I would never again hear it's voice, calling, singing. It was so unfair that it couldn't be right. 

What had happened? Yes. I was caught after all of these years. I was being held in the ShinRa headquarters with no hope but that of one man. I was alone and cut off. 

But... I did this for Marlene. _Marlene_. No more would the ShinRa bother her, nor Elmyra. I was not ashamed of my sacrifice. But I wouldn't stay in this place where I was a nameless no one. I am the Last Cetra! 

This isn't my fate. 

I won't let it be. 


	6. Easier Said Than Done

I wasn't aware that I had fallen asleep. Dreams had taken me away, and for a few moments, I was back in the church, checking the bright flowers that sprouted from the dug up floorboards. I had found that church not long after Elmyra adopted me. It had long since been abandoned but it was beautiful, mysterious even in a way. I had felt some voice edging me on, an almost feminine voice calling to me by my name, leading me to the front. I pulled out the rotted floorboards, and to my delight I saw soil. Real soil. I had dug my hands in it, feeling the smooth, rich texture, and I remembered laughing out loud. I told Elmyra about it, and smiling proudly she gave me a packet of seeds that she had had a long time. 

I didn't think that it would work, but I did everything that I could. The first sprout that shot up, with it's own tiny leaf gave me more pride than anything had, or perhaps ever would. I could grow flowers. I became a flowergirl. Midgar was always hungry for flowers, but no one asked if I had grown them myself. No one but Tseng. 

It was the memory of him that triggered me awake, and that's when I realized that someone was outside the cell door. I am a light sleeper, though - the tiniest noise can wake me with a start. So naturally I jumped up from the corner where I had been huddled when I heard a fumbling with the lock on the door. 

I couldn't tell if the woman who entered was a professor or in security, so I just stared. She was dressed professionally, with short blonde hair and a bored expression. She carried a tray of food. "Mmm, well then, better eat now." She set the tray down on a small table. "Hojo wants to start early." 

My stomach lurched. "I'm not hungry," I said, turning away. 

"Shit, woman, doncha sleep?" She laughed, looking at my face. No, I must not have slept much at all last night, and my eyes proved it. 

But the woman's words gave me confidence - this couldn't be some high ranking professor. She must be low ranking, in fact, if she refered to me as a 'woman' and not a 'Cetra'. Chances are she didn't know it or didn't understand it. I faced her again, the beginnings of a plan forming in my head. She stood here alone, I would have to act before she left. Sure, there would be security, but what would they expect? Would they be able to catch me? "Actually..." I had to play my words right to buy time. "No, I don't sleep at all." 

"Ha, sure you don't!" The woman planted her hands on her hips but she didn't leave. She was somewhat interested. 

"Sometimes but hardly ever," I assured her. I could put on an act, and I certainly had the motivation. "Sleep weakens my powers. It's always good to stay a little tired." Then, biting my lip and hoping I had her, I turned away as if I was sure she didn't care. 

"What the hell kind of power needs ya to be tired?" she asked. 

I turned back as if I were offended. "You don't believe me? But that's why I'm _here_, you know! They want to create a super strong weapon, at least that's what I've heard." 

"How?" She stepped forward, farther into the cell. Out of the corner of my eye... yes, she had a weapon. Probably some kind of stun-gun. Perfect. 

"How _what_?" I asked in a dreamy voice. 

"What's your _power_?!" she asked impatiently. 

"I can grow flowers." Seeing the look of confusion on her face, I struck - once, hard in the face. It cost her a precious second to take in what was going on, and by then I pulled the stun-gun out from her belt. I shot, and she fell to the ground. 

A giddy nervousness filled my stomach. I had to act now. I had no idea where guards or security cameras were, but I did know that my mother had escaped ShinRa once. And she had brought a child with her. 

I stepped out into the hallway, where a guard stood on duty. "Hey!" he called out, but his call was cut short - I blasted the gun again. The gun felt awkward in my hands, and I didn't like it. But I had no choice. I ran blindly down the hallway, having no idea where I was supposed to go. The hallway ended, I had to turn the corner. People of all sorts were along here, going in and out of offices. An elevator was at the end. There. If that would only work... 

At first they didn't notice me. I didn't run but I walked fast, as if I were in a hurry. As if? I _was_ in a hurry. I was half way down the hallway... 

"The Cetra!" some man yelped. Stupidly, I turned to the voice. One of the professors that had seen me pointed, and ran after me. I ran, but now everyone was watching. I shot the gun at people who tried to grab me, but I had no idea how much power the thing had. But what was I supposed to do? I shot out at everyone, especially the ones who shouted or tried to grab me. I was almost to the elevator... 

As I reached it, it became obvious that these weren't lowly ShinRa guards. They had all run or fallen. Taking a breath of relief, I pressed the button. Momentarily, the doors opened. 

I stepped inside and pressed for Floor One. The doors shut behind me. I could make it from here. I had never expected to get this far, and already I was in an elevator. The first floor would be easy. It was "normal people". I could do this, I could do this... 

The elevator went down one floor, to 66. Impatient, I turned around to look of out the glass windows. To my horror, I realized what had happened - the elevator had stopped. The doors opened behind me. My skin prickled, and I slowly turned around, knowing who it was even before I saw him. 

"Perhaps I could assist you, my dear," Hojo said, looking amused. 

"But... how?" I stammered. It had been a stupid plan, yes. But how could it fail now? 

The professor stepped in, the doors closing behind him. I cowered back as he took the gun out of my hand. He stepped over to the control pad. "I expected you to try, but not so soon. Just like your mother, eh, girl?" He laughed, pressing the button for the floor I had just escaped. "Only more foolish. Your plan was ill-constructed and poorly taken out. Your mother succeeded because she took the time to think things through. But the difference between then and now is that we are prepared for such an attempt, and our technology here exceeds all others." He shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. I believe you have forgotten that, because your plan was ultimately destroyed by this." He held up a plastic card. "The elevators don't work without Key Cards unless we tell them to." 

My initial feeling was to bow my head in shame, to fear him all the more. But then I felt disgusted with myself. I looked at him straight in the eye, holding my head up high. I wasn't beaten yet. "I'll remember that for next time," I said, nodding calmly. 

The doors opened, and I saw that security had flooded the hallway. They all shot me dark glances as they revived the unconcious. I didn't bat an eye. One guard rushed up to us and stood before Hojo at attention. 

"You'd best hope that their isn't a 'next time'," Hojo replied coolly. "We have great plans for you, and I'm sure that we would all hate to see it done the hard way." 

"The Promised Land?" I scoffed as the security guard grabbed my hands and handcuffed them behind my back. "You know that it's ridiculous." 

"Regardless, you may want to make the best of it. You'll be here for a very long time..." He turned to the guards. "Bring her to the test tube, I have work to do." He walked away, leaving me to be dragged off. 

_____________ 

I spent the morning in the large see-through test tube. I didn't have many memories of the experiments they did now when I was a child to me, but I remembered them doing it to my mother. She stood there, always dignified, always admirable and beautiful, even as a prisoner. But she had to endure years of this life. I would escape, somehow, in the very near future. So I made everything as hard as I could for the professors. I made it clear that I wasn't going to cooperate, not now and not ever. I would ensure that they would only experiment on me when they desperatly needed to know something. 

I knew that I was irritating Hojo, and I was pleased. I was focusing so much on making his job hard that my fears began to dissolve. When they tested my body's response to certain elements, I began to meditate. I made my body relax, and I forced my spirit to 'expand' almost, so that it would be numb, responseless. I had a very simple joy when a scientist came up to me and slapped me back into reality. 

Aaah, the pride of hearing another professor hiss, "Hojo! Control the goddam specimen!" _Specimen, my Cetra foot!_ It annoyed me in turn when Hojo just laughed in response, commenting on how interesting things would become. 

I had small revenge, though, when I was begrudgingly offered food around noon, which I threw back at them. I wasn't usually such a brat, and I was enjoying it. 

Even so, I felt awkward when the professors retreated for a council. I leaned against the wall, my arms crossed, warily watching the guards. After the first twenty minutes I sat down, uncomfortable. It's one thing to be facing your enemies, it's another to be waiting for them. _Thirty minutes... forty minutes... an hour.... _ The time ticked by and I became nervous again. After a few more minutes my eyes began to droop. The full realization of how tired I really was began to dawn upon me. I shook my head. I couldn't sleep. 

Hojo returned alone, and I jumped to my feet. "I had hoped that you wouldn't make things so difficult for us," he commented dryly. "You were such a sweet child. However, you will soon find out that ShinRa is not a force that you'll want to have against you..." 

"It's always been against me," I shrugged nonchalantly, but in truth seeing him alone again made me cautious. "I don't have anything to lose anymore, and I'm the last Ancient..." 

"Which is why we'll be wanting another." 

Caught off guard, I blinked. "What?" 

He pressed a few buttons and a gas began to fill the room. Before I knew what was happening, I was fast asleep. 

_Cloud, staring up at the ShinRa building. Cloud, climbing up the stairs, Cloud, looking for me, calling for me, coming for me... _

I was a light sleeper. I heard familier voices outside of the tube. "Aeris!" 

Opening my eyes, I yelped. In front of me was a red-orange wolf or lion type creature, stretching lazily and yawning, revealing long sharp fangs. Surprised, confused and frightened, I sat up, backing away. What did Hojo want with this? 

"Lending a helping hand to an endangered species." he was saying. "Both of them are on the brink of extinction..." Oh, no. Oh no, no, no, no! I jumped to my feet, unable to comprehend that what I thought Hojo was trying to do was exactly that. _But Cloud's here..._ I turned and looked out, and sure enough, Cloud, Tifa and a third man that I didn't know stood outside, yelling at Hojo. "Cloud, HELP!" I cried out, banging on the wall. 

The creature seemed to notice me now. Turning around I shrieked and ran as it pounced to me. It chased me. "If I don't," Hojo said calmly. He was watching me. "All of these animals would disappear." 

Upon hearing his words, I felt a stab of fury. Looking out of the tube once again I saw Tifa gasp. "Animal? That's terrible! Aeris is a human being!" 

"You're gonna pay!" the third man snarled. His appearence demanded a lot of power - he was a tall, muscular black man, and to my surprise, one of his arms had no hand. In replace, a gun had been built in. 

"Barret! Can't you do anything?" Cloud shouted, looking from me to Hojo. 

"Awright!" The black man, Barret, grinned. I decided that I liked him. "Step back!" I did so with great caution. 

"Stop!" Hojo yelled, realizing perhaps that brute force _can_ have an edge over intelligence... 

Barret shot his gun arm many times, and I threw myself on the ground. I shut my eyes tightly. 

Distantly, I heard a voice. "Wh... what are you do-- Oh! My precious specimens..." Then I heard a growl, not of a human but of an animal, and the professor's cry of amazement. Glancing up, I saw that the furry red beast had tackled Hojo and was biting at him. 

"Now's our chance to get Aeris!" Cloud said. I sensed him getting closer, and turning, I saw him standing right next to me, his face a mixture of worry and relief. "Aeris..." he said, offering me a hand. 

I took the hand and let him pull me to my feet as we ran out of the tube. "Thanks, Cloud," I said. Could this bad dream really be over? 

There, waiting, was Tifa and Barret. I embraced Tifa happily. Before I could introduce myself to Barret, Hojo ran off after throwing a strong blow at the red beast. 

The animal walked to us gracefully, and no longer in fear of it, I admired how beautiful he was. To all of our surpise, the creature opened his mouth and spoke. "I'll help you all out," he commented as though it were no major commitment. 

"It talked?" Tifa exclaimed. 

"I'll talk as much as you want later, Miss," he answered politely. 

"What's your name?" Cloud asked curiously. 

"Hojo has named me RedXIII, a name which has no meaning whatsoever to me..." 

Then, as if remembering me, Cloud turned to me. "Aeris, are you all right?" he asked. 

Tifa chose her words carefully, eyeing RedXIII. "She seems all right... in many ways." 

RedXIII just laughed. "I have a right to choose, too. I don't like two-legged things." 

Barret was confused. "What are you?" 

He regarded us with amusement. "An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." Barret was about to ask another question, but was interrupted. "You must have many questions, but first let's get out of here. I'll lead the way." 

I turned to Cloud, feeling my thanks earlier hadn't been enough. "Cloud... so you did come for me." I really didn't know what else to say. 

RedXIII leaped over to me, and I jumped in surprise. I wasn't sure how comfortable I was around such an obviously strong creature. But he spoke with almost a hint of shame in his voice. "I apologise for what happened back there. I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard. 

I forgave him and admired his strategy. He was a clever one, this RedXIII. 

"Now we've saved Aeris, ain't no need to be in this buildin'!" Barret said cheerfully. "So let's get the hell outta here!" 

But, as often is the case, things like this are much easier said than done. 

_______________________ 

**Author's Notes **- Umm...yeah... I don't know what to think about this chapter. It's kinda moved the story up to a safe PG13, but I expected that. I know that Aeris is often portrayed as a passive, weak willed character in fics... but that's never how I interpreted her. To me she's persistant and stubborn and I don't like her as much as a damsel in distress. Also, I originally planned to do the ShinRa part in just a chapter or two... but I hate leaving things out (and some things were left out, too). 


	7. Promises Are Lies

**Author's Notes **- Well... I dunno. Enjoy. 

___________________ 

"Let's split up into groups," Cloud suggested. "If all five of us go together, we'll be noticed." 

It was decided that Cloud, Tifa and I would go to the 66th floor elevator, Barret and Red XIII would go to another. "By the way, Aeris," Cloud commented, just remembering. I hadn't noticed before, but he held my Guard Stick, still holding the Materia. He tossed it to me, and I caught it, feeling better with the metal rod in my hands. 

I walked in mostly silence as we went down the quiet halls. I was _happy_, it was just... something was bothering me. Like there was something that I should remember but I had forgotten. 

As we reached the elevator, I stopped. 

"Hey, Aeris!" Tifa turned around. "What is it?" 

"You... you do have key cards, don't you?" I asked uncertainly. 

"Of course we do," Cloud nodded. "You don't think we walked this whole way?" 

"No..." I didn't want to go on the elevator. But surely it was a childish fear? I didn't like being closed in in the first place, and Hojo catching me on my first escape attempt hadn't assured me any. But Cloud and Tifa were with me, what more could I do? "Alright," I nodded, and followed them in. 

The floors ticked down, more and more. Slowly, yes, but surely. They won't stop. That wouldn't be fair... but sometimes I think that our lives exist to amuse some higher power. 

The doors opened. We were still high in the air. I shook my head incredulously as a team of Turks stood outside. Their guns were pointed at us. _ShinRa monitors the elevators. We should have taken the stairs. _

Tseng, leading the group entered, looking right at me. "This must've been a real thrill for you... Did you enjoy it?" 

I had been bad off before, but now I had brought Cloud and Tifa down with me. 

_____________ 

I was brought before President ShinRa alone, on the top level of ShinRa Headquarters. The room was elaborately decorated - never before had I seen anything so rich. It made me sick, comparing it with the people in the slums... 

He sat in a large chair behind a large desk. He was an imposing man - though obese and moving on in his years, he sat tall and professionally. I didn't know what to think, standing there with my hands cuffed behind my back. This was the man behind it all. 

"Ahh, Cetra," he nodded, studying me carefully. "I'm rather disappointed with the reports Hojo gives me about your behaviour. I'm expecting alot out of you. I need that Promised Land of yours." 

"Huh!" I scoffed. "You don't know anything about it, _sir_!" 

"Oh? Try me." I despised that look so much, and I had recieved it only too often within the last few days. As if was a talking Chocobo who knew how lay gold. The look of amusement and curiousity, so calm and suave. 

"The Promised Land isn't _mine_," I said ruefully, hoping to destroy his hopes. "It doesn't belong to anyone. Supposing it even exists." 

"It will belong to us, hopefully soon. That's why I need your cooperation, Aeris." He leaned forward in his chair, watching me with narrowed eyes. "I promise you, once we find it, you're free to go." 

That made me hesitate. _Of course he knows how to play people and do business..._I told myself. But making it sound so easy, and even calling me by my name... I looked at my feet, unsure of how to respond. Then an anger filled me. What a joke! How would they ever find some magical little fairyworld, especially through _science_? "And when would that be, sir? I don't believe that it exists! And if I don't, as the last Ancient, why should _you_?" 

"Hmm..." he answered, leaning back in his chair and putting on a show of disappointment. "I was afraid that you might not see things my way. But if that bargain wasn't good enough for you, I have another..." He paused for good show. "Your meager little rescue party has been caught as well. Though they annoy me, I won't harm them if you agree to my conditions." 

A shiver ran down my spine. Of course. What else should I have expected? That they would get kicked out of the building with a fine for trespassing? I sighed, bowing my head. "What?" 

"First, no more escapes. Second, no more struggling. Do what the professors ask. Third, no suicides, and this includes starving yourself. Break any of these rules and it'll be your friends that pay." 

"Fine," I said with ice in my voice. "But you'll never find it. It doesn't exist!" 

"Excellent." He turned to the guards that stood by the two massive stairways. "Bring her back to her cell." 

_____________ 

I was alone in my cell once again. I sat on the bed helplessly. What could I do now? I've failed, and because of me things are worse off for others, so many others. Elmyra suffered, my old Midgar friends suffered, Marlene suffered and so many others. Now Cloud, Tifa and Barret were suffering. Now I have no choice but to give up. 

But wasn't it me who had told Tifa, just a little bit after I had first met her a few days ago to never give up hope? Am I a hypocrite? _But I am alone..._

I swung my feet, suddenly thoughtful. _Was_ I alone? I heard voices through the ceiling, probably carrying through some vent. "Cloud?" I called loudly, hearing it echo through overhead. "Are you there?" 

"Aeris?!" his voice answered. "You safe?" 

"Yeah, I'm all right," I lied, sighing. "I knew that Cloud would come for me." 

"Hey, I'm your bodyguard, right?" he answered, and I heard heard a hint of a smile in his voice. 

Was he really my bodyguard? I had only asked him to take me home that night, running from the Turks. He did so, and it was I who followed him to Wallmarket as he searched for Tifa. But it felt nice to hear him say that, and I stood up. "The deal was for one date, right?" 

"...Oh, I get it..." a different voice, this one feminine answered. 

"Huh?" I blinked, and then felt horrible. "Tifa! Tifa, you're there too!" I could have kicked myself. 

"EXCUSE me." Tifa's voice has a trace of edge in it, or was it just irritation? I don't know. I wouldn't have said it if I had known that she was there. "You know, Aeris, I have a question," she asked more thoughtfully. 

"What?" I asked, hoping the situation wouldn't get any more awkward. 

"Does the Promised Land really exist?" 

The question surprised me, even though I knew that it shouldn't have. I didn't know what to say at first. Just a while ago I was insisting that it didn't exist. "I don't know," I said finally. I decided to tell her what my mother had told me. "All I know is.... The Cetra were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet, and unlock the Planet. And... then... The Cetra will return to the Promised Land." I looked up, pretending that I could see the sky and feeling pensive now. "A land that promises supreme happiness." 

It took a second before I heard Tifa respond. She didn't sound angry anymore. "...What does that mean?" 

I shook my head and gave a sigh. The human language has its limits. "More than words... ...I don't know." 

"Speak with the Planet?" Cloud mused, trying to imagine no doubt what this meant. Zack had been curious about that, too. 

"Just what does the Planet say?" Tifa asked. 

I felt another pang of loss. I was cut off from the Planet here. "It's full of people and noisy. That's why I can't make out what they are saying." 

"You hear it now?" Cloud was confused. 

"I...I only heard it at the church in the slums. Mother said that Midgar was no longer safe. That is... my real mother..." I could hardly remember what she looked like. How could she be so distant and yet so close? The same way that she's both gone and here, I supposed. I don't know why but I was really sad again, remembering Ifalna. She had always been full of dreams, and there was so much that she wanted to show me, so much that I wanted to see. "Someday I'll get out of Midgar... speak with the Planet and find my Promised Land. ...That's what mom said. I thought I would stop hearing her voice as I grew up, but... 

I couldn't bring myself to talk anymore. I was torn between emotions. I had spent my life running in the slums of Midgar and being alone. Now I was thrown into chaos. _This isn't how it's supposed to be, Mother..._ But what do I know? How do I know what it is supposed to be like, anyhow? How do I even know what I want anymore? 

It would have been so different if Ifalna had been alive. I could have escaped Midgar. I could have lived in one of those open fields where I could always see the sky. I would grow fields of flowers and I would never pick one. I would follow the wisdom of the Planet, because I would always be able to hear it. I would be a Cetra and proud... 

My father was a human, though. Maybe it's my human blood that will have the last laugh. Why not? The rest of my life has been labyrinth of irony. I'm the last Cetra and there's nothing I can do. There's not enough time for anything anymore. The Cetra's moment is nearly over. The flowers will wither, the trees will diminish and the animals will die. All because I just couldn't do anything. 

I laid on the cot, still and straight. Why was it so cold? _What could I do anyhow, if I was out of Midgar?_ I closed my eyes. There were so many questions... I knew that ShinRa was destroying the Planet. I had heard the Planet's moans of pain in the church. That's when I vowed to do whatever I could... How is it that now I can do nothing? No. I won't give up yet. The Planet is too precious not to protect. Too precious not to try, whatever the cost. 

Again, I did not sleep, but I drifted... _a caped man enters the Headquarters, killing many with a long sword. It doesn't matter... he comes higher and higher... he wonders. He sees **her** and she speaks to him. He listens and comes closer..._

_Closer... _

...closer... 

The doorknob turned. 

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**Author's Notes** - Please bear in mind that this is my first fic... so... don't hate me! =D And thank you, Firefly99, for the reviews! ^_^ 


	8. Complications

**Author's Notes**- Whew. I'm having a great time writing these, though maybe I'm going overboard in length just a bit? Eh. Too bad. 

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I laid there on the cot, half asleep. I knew that he stood just on the other side of the door, I knew he was powerful, but I felt indifferent, as if I was only reading a book and none of this was real. The doorknob turned. 

My eyes opened to mere slits, and against the bright lights in the hallway the figure of the man was tall and dark. I still wasn't much paying attention to him, though. I couldn't stop thinking about Ifalna and the Promised Land. I was chilled, and the cold made me think of how oceans were described in books, and Ifalna left my wandering mind. 

"This is... the Ancient, Mother?" A cool, low voice asked. It was that man in the hallway, staring at me. 

_Yes, Mother... _ My mind snapped back to Ifalna. _This is the Ancient. I am alone..._

**_You are not alone._**

My eyes snapped open, and I jumped to my feet. The Planet... I heard it, I heard it! I dropped to my knees desperatly and put my ear to the ground, a sub-concious attempt to get as close to the ground as possible, regardless of being sixty-some stories in the air. 

The dark man had pulled out a long sword in surprise of my sudden movement, and had it pointed my direction, but I didn't really notice nor care. I had heard it... it was there... The Planet didn't abandon me... Maybe it was I who had abandoned it... 

I heard no more, so I sat up, pondering. _You are not alone,_ it had said. I wasn't the only Ancient? Then, skeptically, my eyes went upward on the dark man, until they met his own of pale blue-green. 

He was wearing a black cloak, but loosely. His lack of shirt revealed hard muscle, he was obviously a warrior. I couldn't be certain of his age - mid adult, perhaps. But what caught me the most were his eyes, covered slightly by loose wisps of long silver hair. Yes... the eyes were of Mako, just like a SOLDIER's. 

"What are you doing?" he asked, amused, much like the voice Hojo used sometimes. 

I thought about standing up, noticing the long blade he held, but in all honesty I was tired. I hadn't slept nor ate much recently, and my sleepy mind figured if he was planning on killing me, my position wouldn't make much of a difference. "Didn't you hear it?" I thought the voice had been thin, but strong enough. Especially if... could he be? 

"JENOVA is out there," he nodded his head along the hallway. 

"No... I don't know what you mean..." JENOVA... hmm, yes, I knew that name... JENOVA... 

"Mother is an Ancient like us. You must have heard her calling." He put down the sword, finding me a threat no longer. 

"So that's what she meant..." Again, I was thinking of Ifalna by 'mother', not whoever _he_ meant... but... it didn't seem right. He was a Cetra? Then... was _he_ looking for it, too? "You're Sephiroth?" 

"Heh... names..." he shrugged, but his eyes never left me. Then he considered me. "I might have seen you before? Years ago..." 

"I was here years ago. Were you?" Now I stood up. Oh, Planet, I was tired. This should all seem very strange... but... it wasn't. 

"Then you were caught again?" 

"No..." I bit back a yawn. "I bargained my freedom for that of another. A little girl." _Marlene..._ I could see her clearer in my mind than I could the man who stood in front of me. 

Sephiroth laughed, a cold, bitter laugh. That woke me up a bit. It made me uneasy, and I stood more defensively. "Just like.... ha, ha..." Sephiroth shook his head. "Didn't we try protecting those foolish humans once, girl? Long ago? Do you recall how they repaid us? Ha, ha... you're a fool." 

Yes, Mother had told me about it, how the Cetra sacrificed themselves to save the Planet from a threat from the sky... "Why are you here?" Then, as an afterthought, I added, "And I don't regret what I did." 

"Unfinished business... Mother has been watching you. She wanted me to meet you-" 

"Hi, then," I interrupted, sick of all these I'm-always-watching-you games. "I'm Aeris." 

He continued. "She wants you to come with us, too. We're taking this Planet back from the scum that dominate. We will create our own Promised Land..." 

I stared at him for a moment, trying to take it what he had just said. "You want to kill everyone? Everyone... dead?" The idea was too abstract for me to fully understand right then. Even in the ShinRa headquarters I could feel life. How would an empty nothingness feel? The concept was so ridiculous right then that I smiled. 

Sephiroth must have taken my smile as agreement. "Their lives are irrelevent. But no, I want them to live... through me." 

I blinked, completely confused now. "Why would you want that?" 

"Because I know how to become a god." A smile played across his lips, one that made me take a step back. "And you are an Ancient, you may join me." 

And then... I was awake. My eyes widened, my jaw dropped. It had hit me. I didn't know exactly how he planned to become a god, but I just knew. Without a doubt I felt, no, knew that he would try, successful or not, and because of that... because of that..."_No._" I had lived all of my life assuring myself that everything had a purpose in life, even if it was only to ride the Lifestream. But that purpose was good enough for me. "I don't want to be a god, I don't want to live forever." Then, I became angry. "All I want to do is grow a garden and speak with the Planet! Why isn't that good enough for anyone? Or," I clenched my fists, close to snarling. "Is it _too_ good?" 

Judging by the quickly masked look of shock, he hadn't been talked to like that for quite awhile. He covered with a look of amusement. "But you will join me..." 

"No. I'll only join the Planet, and that's when my time is up." 

For a long second he just considered me, then nodded, still smiling, as if this would make an excellent joke later. "Very well. I would _never_ force a Cetra..." He was mocking me. "But I'm sure the legends will prove true for you - you will have a hard life." 

"I'll decide that for myself, thanks." I turned my head, knowing then that he wouldn't kill me. 

"Now listen carefully... maybe you'll hear the cries of what will soon be my Spirit Energy..." 

"What?" I turned around, but already, Sephiroth had closed the door behind him and left me. 

"Ugggh!" a voice in the hallway outside yelped. 

"Oh Planet," I whispered. The guard was dead. Sephiroth's reign had begun. Lying on the cot, I shivered. Why was it always so cold? Then, reaching back behind my head, I untied the ribbon in my hair and held tightly onto the Materia Ifalna had given me that I kept clasped there. The _useless_ green-white orb that did naught but comfort me. It was warm, as always. 

Clutching it so tightly that my fingers turned white, I trembled until I was sure that Sephiroth was gone. 

_________________________ 

Finally I stood up. He was gone now. Pacing around my cell, I wondered who had all been killed. My thoughts had been too troubled that night to sort it all out. Mostly people I didn't know, I figured. Did Hojo die? I did not like the man but I wanted none to die by Sephiroth's sword. I didn't know what he was planning but I knew that he had to be stopped. Somehow. 

Then, I noticed something that made my heart stop. _The door_. It was... unlocked... I didn't move. Had he forgotten? Or had he planned this? 

It did no good to stand there waiting to see what would happen, so I approached the door cautiously. Placing a hand on the knob, I held my breath, dreading what I might see. I opened it and stepped into the hallway. 

The guard that stood watch over the cells really was dead. I closed my eyes and bowed my head. He had only been doing his duty, after all. I came closer and closer... impaled by a sword. Poor man... but what made my stomach churn the most was that every weapon of ours that had been taken, my staff, Cloud's sword, and so on... they lay in a pile here. Turning around, I remembered Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. No, their doors were still locked... but the guard would have a key. 

Upon spying the keys at the dead guard's belt, I gritted my teeth and snatched them. I walked back to the cell next to mine, which I figured must have been Cloud's and Tifa's. Having unlocked their door, I entered. 

Cloud was sitting in a corner, and Tifa lay on the bed, both asleep. "Cloud, Tifa... wake up!" I said urgently. 

Tifa's eyes slid open. "Mmm?" She shook her head, blinking. "Aeris?!" 

"Something's wrong... look outside!" I lead the newly awaken pair out, and pointed to the dead guard. "Must've been attacked by..." I bit my lip, then turned. "I'll get Barret." 

Having no idea which cell was his out of all in the hallway, I called. "Barret? Barret, where are you?" 

"Uhh... Aeris? That you?" I heard the gruff voice answer. 

Following he voice, I unlocked the matching door. Yes, there was the man with the gun arm, standing there and looking confused. I remembered that we had never been properly introduced, and now seemed as good a time as any. "Yeah. I'm Aeris." I bowed my head in respect. 

"The hell's goin' on?" He glanced down the hallway. "Holy shit! What the fuck happened to him?!" 

"What's this?" a deeper, lower voice questioned. It was RedXIII, awakened as well, swishing his long tail. I had forgotten about him as well. 

"The guard's dead. By the looks of it, he's not the only one, either," I answered. 

Barret and RedXIII scampered over to the body with Tifa and Cloud. "No human could have done this!" RedXIII exclaimed, sniffing the body. Then, looking ahead of us, he murmured, "A trail of blood...I'll go on ahead." He trotted off, following the red stain trail. 

"Let's follow him," Tifa nodded anxiously. 

We set off, at a slower, more cautious pace. "Aeris?" Barret said. 

"Hmm?" The blood... Sephiroth must have been dragging his sword... it was so thick... 

"Marlene's my daughter... so, well, thanks." 

That distracted me. I raised my eyebrows, looking up at Barret. I would have never guessed. Marlene was a skinny white brunette, Barret was a muscular black man. But be that as it may, I realized why Barret had gotten himself into this mess and I felt almost guilty. "I hope she's okay." 

"She's with your mom," Barret said reassuringly, but more it was more likely that he was assuring himself more than me. 

"Come on, you two!" Cloud, who had went on ahead called. "Look at this!" Catching up with him, I saw that one test tube had been shattered, it's specimen robbed. "Did it get away? ...JENOVA?" 

...It was true, then. Jenova had been here. Sephiroth's... mother? 

"The trail leads up these stairs!" Tifa said. 

Walking up the stairs, nervous again, I didn't know what to expect. But whatever it was, finding myself in President Shinra's giant office with the President himself, at his desk with a giant sword in his back was not it. I heard several gasps. 

Barret spoke incredulously. "He's dead... the head of ShinRa is dead..." 

Tifa ran to the limp figure and checked his pulse, then the sword. She suddenly became pale. "Then this sword must be..." 

"Sephiroth's!!" Cloud exclaimed. 

"...Sephiroth is alive?" Tifa asked quietly. 

"Looks like it... Only Sephiroth can use that sword." 

Barret snapped. "Who cares who did it?! This is the end of the ShinRa!" 

"But that must mean that the Promised Land really does exist and that Sephiroth's here to save it from ShinRa?" Tifa asked, uncertain. 

"So he's a good guy then?" Barret wondered. 

I looked down at the floor, deciding not to tell anyone that I had seen him. How would it help them anyhow? 

"Save the Promised Land?" Cloud scoffed. "A good guy? No way!! It's not that simple! I know him! Sephiroth's mission is different." 

Suddenly, we all heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter, roaring outside in the dark sky. Barret snarled. "Rufus! Damn! I forgot about him!" 

"Who's that?" Tifa inquired. 

"Vice President Rufus. The President's son!" 

That name... it must have been Zack who had told me about him. _That's a tough one_...he had said. _They say that no one's ever seen him bleed or cry!_

Things were getting more complicated by the minute. Here we were. Mercenary, bar hostess, terrorist, beast and flowergirl. There were things that I didn't understand, things that I needed to know. But I did know that we had the makings of a team. I wouldn't let them be caught again. 


End file.
